


What About Us?

by paperjamBipper



Category: We Bare Bears (TV)
Genre: Denial, Fluff, Heart-to-Heart, M/M, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-13
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2020-05-07 09:21:10
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19206472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperjamBipper/pseuds/paperjamBipper
Summary: An AU, of sorts, where Charlie starts to pick up on Panda’s developing feelings for him before Panda’s even aware they’re there at all. An AU where Charlie sits him down one day, just to talk…and walks him through the realization process himself.An AU where Charlie recognizes the signs in Panda because he’s going through the same motions himself.





	What About Us?

The changes are so subtle Charlie almost misses them entirely.

It’s subtle glances when he thinks he can’t see. It’s a smile that you could blink and miss. It’s a lingering gaze, a hug that just _barely_ lasts longer than usual. A subtle blush that’s hard to catch that feels to you like you’re waving a big red flag over your head.

Charlie prides himself in being Panda’s best friend. And as his best friend, he’s keen on knowing just exactly when he needs to be there for him. He knows Panda like he knows the back of his hand. All his likes, dislikes, personality, quirks, the works. Which is why, whenever something seems off, he’s able to pick up on it right away.

Maybe he’s just seeing what he wants to see.

Maybe it’s just wishful thinking.

But Charlie _knows_ he recognizes this pattern of behavior.

It’d started right around the time Panda asked for his help to get to that restaurant to meet up with his brothers. All it took was a _single_ line, and Charlie knew he was done for.

_You know, Charlie, you and I actually make a pretty good team._

The sun was setting, and save for the few lingering kids on the playground in that park who weren’t even paying attention to them, they were on their own.  It was…the most genuine Panda had been since they met. He was lucky Panda’d jumped on his back, instead of jumping into his arms, because if he’d been pressed up against his chest he’s sure Panda would’ve felt the skip in his heart at the compliment.

As a matter of fact, just _thinking_ about the possibility of Panda jumping into his arms and clinging to his chest is enough to make it skip again. The reason Charlie recognizes all these little changes in Panda’s behavior is, well, because….he found himself going through the same motions, the moment he realized he was in love with Panda.

The averted eyes….that’d started as soon as they arrived at the restaurant. As soon as they separated from their celebratory embrace and Charlie ever so gently adjusted his glasses for him, Panda…looked as if he hadn’t wanted to say goodbye. There was something he wasn’t saying, Charlie could tell, and there’d been a tiny hopeful part of himself that was convinced that Panda was going to invite him to join them, which in that moment Charlie had completely disregarded his fear of public spaces just to spend that much more time with him.

But then Panda came running after him and told him he’d rather eat with him, in a setting _he_ was comfortable with, and Charlie knew then that he didn’t stand a chance.

The gentle smiles were…much harder to keep subtle. When Panda asked to paint him for the class, he’d been so happy, and excited, and _called him perfect, and told him he’d gift him the painting, just because, to make him happy,_ that Charlie felt like his face was going to split in half from grinning so hard. And that’s not even mentioning the fact that he snuck out to sign it for him, or the fact that he didn’t have a single word of protest when he’d thrown his arms around him, even when his brothers came outside to see what was going on, and…

What can he say? He’s absolutely _smitten_ with Panda.

There’s probably no sign that gave away that more than what’d happened at the toxic lake. Charlie’s surprised Panda hasn’t pulled him aside to talk to him about it. He’d considered doing it himself, because the questions burning in his head were so intense, but he found himself….too _shy_ to ask him about it.

He’d be lying to himself if he said that kissing him was just an impulsive response because he was so excited. He knows it wasn’t. He knows how close he was to accidentally kissing him on the lips, if Panda had just turned his head a few seconds later than he did.

He also knows that Panda didn’t make any sort of protest to being kissed.

That, more than anything, is why Charlie was finding himself too shy to ask about it.

That is, until…he _really_ started noticing the changes in Panda’s behavior.

If he had to take a shot in the dark and guess, Charlie would say that it was….right around when he’d adopted that family of baby snakes. Panda’s particular choice of words stood out to him, of course, but, even…before they’d left, he was being…sweet to him, in a way he hadn’t before. He’d smiled at him when he first arrived at the cave, a quick glance up from his phone and a greeting he didn’t receive from his brothers. It’s not like he needed one, per say, but it felt…nice, that Panda had been the one to speak up first.

After the snake babies left had been another story entirely. Something about watching him scale a cliff and scare a fully-grown eagle off must’ve changed something in Panda. Who knows? What Charlie _does_ know is that ever since then, Panda’s been softer, kinder, sweeter….and when Charlie really looks closer, much _shyer_ than his typical nature. He’s definitely much more open and welcoming to his physical affections, ever since he’d carried him all the way back to the cave from the toxic lake, sure, but he’s less able to look him in the eyes or make much conversation with him while it’s happening.

Panda loves him.

Panda’s _in love with him._

That sure is a thought. It’s a thought that gets Charlie all lightheaded and heart racing, and throat closing, because he _can’t believe Panda loves him back._

It’s…strange, though, because as sure as he is that Panda likes him back, and as sure as he is that Panda knows _he_ likes him….

“Ugh,” Panda groans beside him, tearing him from his thoughts. He places his phone face down on his nightstand, picks it back up, stares blankly at whatever page he’d been reading, and groans again before he decides to turn the screen off and place it back down on his nightstand.

“Troubles?” Charlie asks, sitting up from where he’d been lying in Panda’s bed beside him. “Anything I could help you with?”

“Ugh”, Panda repeats, reaching for his phone again and fiddling with it in his paws. “It’s probably nothing, but this girl…”

…Oh.

“I don’t know what it is. I’ve told you about Amanda, right? That girl I traveled all over the city to return her phone to her a couple summers ago?”

Charlie frowns. “Yeah?”

“Yeah, well, I guess she’s back in town, or something, because we just matched up on my dating app, and she’s been trying to message me, which…I should be happy about, right? I should be excited she wants to make contact with me again. But…” he trails off, looking down at his phone screen. “I can’t think of anything to say to her. I can’t think of anything I _want_ to say to her”.

…Oh?

“What do you mean?” Charlie crosses his legs, suddenly finding himself much more interested in the story.

“I mean…it’s been so long, and …yeah, I guess it’d be nice to see her, but…I’ve been doing a lot of…thinking, recently, you know?”

Charlie’s heart starts pounding in his chest so hard he’s almost worried Panda can hear it. “Yeah?” he encourages.

“And, well…Amanda and I didn’t really have all that much in common. Sure, we read the same manga and both liked the same kind of boba, but…is that all it takes? I’ve been thinking a lot about…you know, that question you asked me, when we first met, about why I don’t have a girlfriend yet”

Charlie swears his heart just stopped in his chest at those words. “H-have you?” he asks, and clears his throat to avoid it from cracking.

“And…I really hate to admit it, but…I’m almost wondering if I…don’t want one…as much as I tell myself I do?”  He scratches at the back of his head and turns his head to Charlie. He’s intently hanging on to every word he’s saying.  “I-I mean, because this…” he gestures to his phone. “This isn’t the first time this has happened this week. I’ve had two other girls message me before her, and for some reason I just…couldn’t bring myself to respond to them. It’s like I have…” he returns his gaze to Charlie. “…something else on my mind, but I can’t place what it is”

It’s love, a very faint and quiet type, that Charlie sees in Panda’s eyes when he looks at him. His phone is sitting on his lap, and he’s twiddling with his paws. Gosh, there’s _nothing_ more that Charlie wants right now than to pull him into his arms and kiss him all over.

“Well…” Charlie begins twiddling with his own hands. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“What?”

Charlie leans back on his hands. “What’s on mind.”

“Well, I _would_ love to, but…” he trails off. “I can’t place what it is”

“That’s okay!” Charlie grins. “That just means we can work it out together”

Panda blushes at _together._ Perfect. He’s got him right where he wants him.

“So from what I gather, you feel that you and this…Amanda girl don’t really have a connection, right? Because you say you two don’t have all that much in common? But you also say that she likes the same mangas and things as you.” He shifts. “Thought that was important to you, pumpkin”

“I thought so too!” Panda tosses his arms in the air incredulously. “I thought so too. I usually fall for _every_ girl that says she likes manga or anime. All it usually takes is for a girl to mention she’s _heard_ of it!” Panda scrubs his paws down his face. “Which is why it’s so _confusing”_

“Well…what about the other girls?”

“Other girls?”

“Yeah! You said there were two other girls who…matched? With you? On your dating site thing? What was wrong with them?”

“Nothing! Nothing was wrong with them” Panda assures, waving his arms around in defense. “They both seemed really sweet, and nice, but…” he shakes his head. “There just wasn’t anything _there._ No sparks, no deeper connection, nothing like…” he turns his gaze to Charlie again, but catches himself and quickly turns his head away just as Charlie catches him going pink. Panda shakes his head. “Maybe I’ve just…been through a lot lately, you know?” he asks, and if that was his attempt at drawing the subject away from him than he’s doing a _really_ bad job because the only “big” things Charlie can think of that Panda’s been through are the things he’s been through too.

“You know what it sounds like to me?” Charlie turns his gaze towards Panda and keeps it there. “The way you’re putting it, it sounds like…you don’t want to be with someone unless they _really_ know you, right?” he says. “You keep usin’ the word ‘connection’. You didn’t connect with that Amanda girl. You didn’t _connect_ with those other girls. Now, correct me if I’m wrong, Pan-Man, but doesn’t that usually mean something like…someone you’re already close to?”

“I…” Panda glances down at his reflection on his phone screen. “I don’t know” he says. “I thought for _sure_ that it could just mean…anyone you think is cute”

Charlie has to stifle a chuckle at that, like that isn’t just the cutest thing he’s ever heard. (Coming from the cutest person he’s ever seen).

“Here, lemme put it this way. Let’s say there was this…” he pauses for a brief moment, considering. “…girl you were good friends with. You’ve been friends for years. You’ve got a few things in common, here and there, but what _really_ brings you two together is your relationship outside of those things. You spend time alone together, you do things for each other…” He takes note of the burn rising to his cheeks, “…and you’re really close together. Proximity isn’t an issue for her. Take this girl who you’re real good friends with, and say _she_ asks you out. What do you say?”

Panda’s blushing. “That sounds…” he pauses, like there’s something he isn’t saying, but when he turns his gaze back to Charlie his eyes are all wide and dilated. “That sounds like a dream come true”.

If Charlie’s blush wasn’t as clear as day before, it sure is now.

“See? It’s just as I thought. I don’t think it’s _you,_ or any of those girls on your phone. I think you’re just looking for someone you can…connect real deep with, you know? Face to face and…” it’s seriously taking him _all_ of his willpower not to reach over and gently clasp Panda’s paw between his hands, “hand in hand”

Panda’s back to looking at his phone, but a quick glance over his shoulder and Charlie sees the screen’s still off. “That’s what I was afraid of” he says, but he’s smirking, rather than looking troubled.

“Hmm?”

“All those questionnaires and monthly bills to keep my account only to find out that it’s…” he snickers. “Completely useless to me”. He shakes his head. “You know, I _had_ been considering on unsubscribing for a while now, ever since…” he’s doing that thing again, where he’s not saying something Charlie knows he wants to say. “A while ago,” he says instead. “And, I might as well, right? But I think part of the reason I haven’t yet is because I’m…scared”

At this point Panda’s practically _asking_ to be scooped up and kissed all over, Charlie swears. “Scared?” he asks, as calmly as his slamming heart will allow him to. “Of what?”

“You…you know, scared I’ll never find someone like that”

 _Now_ he’s got him. “Like what?” he asks, refusing to take his gentle yet burning gaze off of Panda.

“You know…someone who…who _knows_ me like that. I don’t want to just date anyone, as much as I say I do, I want someone who _really_ knows me, inside and out, someone who can see past all my imperfections, someone caring, and sweet, and…and someone who’s been there for me, whenever I needed them, and…” Panda’s blushing _hard_ now, “I need…”

“Me?” Charlie cuts in, almost before he’s even realized he’s said it.  

Panda’s head whips towards him. “ _What?”_

“I said…me?” Charlie repeats, just as nonchalantly as he said it the first time. “C-correct me if I’m wrong, Pan-Man, but all those things, that speech about someone who’s _always_ been there for you, well, it…it sounds pretty much like you’re describing me”

For a deafening moment, Panda just…stares at him. Stares down every inch. His general figure, his face, his eyes, his _lips…_

And then, all of a sudden, Panda looks as if he wants to cry.

“W-whoa, hold on there!” Charlie sits up, and opens his arms to him. “Are you- _oof”_ he tries, but he’s cut off as Panda slams into him, wrapping both arms and both legs tightly around him as he buries his face into his chest. Charlie’s heart skips.

He wonders if Panda felt it.

“I’m…” Panda starts, and clings to him even harder. “I’m _so sorry”_ he says, and holds on just a bit tighter. A bit baffled by the gesture, but flustered all the same, Charlie returns the gesture, winding his arms and legs around Panda and holding him close in a tight embrace. He holds off on saying anything else until Panda, calmed by the returned gesture, calms his grip on him. For a brief moment Charlie just stares, but he shakes his head before he brings a single index finger to Panda’s chin and gently pushes it up towards him to make him look Charlie in the eyes.

Panda shivers.

“Sorry?” Charlie asks, voice brimming with concern while he simultaneously has to fight off a loving smile. “What are you sorry for?”

Panda wipes at his face before he pulls away from the embrace. Charlie follows suit.

“You-you know! For all this! For bringing you in here and just babbling off about girls like some clueless dingle,”

“Panda.”

“Like I was just using you for relationship advice with _someone else,”_

“Panda.”

“When you were right here this entire time,”

“Pan-Man”.

“And you probably don’t even _like_ me that way, and I don’t blame you, because I’m one of the first people you’ve ever considered your best friend, right? And-”

“ _Pumpkin”._ Charlie reaches forward and clasps Panda’s paws in his own hands. Panda freezes mid-sentence, and when he looks him in the eyes again he’s turning bright pink.

Charlie tugs Panda close to him. “Pumpkin, I offered up the idea of myself _because_ I like you that way”.

Panda’s eyes widen. “You _what?”_

Charlie nods. “I like you that way. Or, I _love_ you, if you’d prefer.” He smiles lovingly at him, tightening his grasp on Panda’s paws. “I love you, Panda”.

“I…” Panda starts, blinking rapidly like he can’t believe this is happening, but it’s not long before he breaks into a grin too. “I…I love you too. I love you, Charlie” he grins, and his eyes brighten and his grin widens, like saying it’s the most freeing thing he’s done in _ages._ “I love you” he says, retracting his paws from Charlie’s hands and placing them gently on his face, observing him carefully.

For a moment, Charlie only gazes into Panda’s eyes. He loves him. Panda _loves him._

But then he stretches back against the backboard of his bed, and Panda follows suit.

And when he closes his eyes and leans in, Panda leans too.

 


End file.
